A/N: I'm going on the theory that even though the houses are made of sand, they are hardened into a plaster so that they could be painted.

Disclaimer: You have absolutely no listening skills.

"Mmmph!"

"How did you get stuck in the wall?"

"Mmmph mpmm tmm!" Kankuro's arms and legs waved wildly and he screamed into the robin's egg paint. Half his face looked as if it had sunk into the wall.

Temari sweat dropped. "Well, that's helpful." She heard a light humming. She poked her head out of the wood-framed opening to the living room. Takira was de-sanding the banister. "Takira, do you know how Kankuro got his head stuck in the wall?"

"Yes." Takira said, nodding.

Temari ignored Kankuro's muffled yells. "How did he get his head stuck in the wall?"

"He kept starring at my ass after I told him not to." Takira didn't even look up from her work.

Temari was silent for a minute. Then she burst out laughing. Kankuro's panicked yells only increased her laughter until she was on the floor, tears rolling down her face.

"What's going on in here?" Gaara's cool voice was heard as he entered the house from a meeting with his Anbu sentries.

Takira sighed. "This is the last time I'm explaining this. Kankuro was staring at me ass as I was cleaning the kitchen. I gave him a fair warning, and when he continued, I shoved his face into the wall. Temari asked what happened, I told her, she started laughing." She said this in the same monotone, as if it really didn't matter.

Gaara smirked. "That's what you get for being a lecher." He said just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Temari smiled and Kakuro relaxed for a second hearing their bother joke. There was a faint pop! And Kakuro's head cam out of the wall, courtesy of the one who put him there in the first place.

"I will get my vengeance!" He declared loudly.

"You're starting to sound like me, Kankuro."

Everyone whirled around to see two men standing in the doorway. One wore a Jounin vest and had murky borwn hair. Takira noticed in her mind's eye that Temari's charka pressure spiked when she saw him. Either he did something that made her really mad… or she was blushing. The other was darkly handsome. He had black eyes and hair and wore black clothes. He stood at an angle. Takira tensed as she saw the Uchiha clan symbol.

"Uchiha, Shikamaru." Gaara nodded at them. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"The Hokage thought it would be nice to give you notice before he stops by in a week." Shikamaru answered. "And we need a place to crash for a week while we wait for our Hokage."

Gaara nodded his head. "Of course. As the Hokage's… friends," Takari noticed he winced slightly, no more than an eye tic, "you are welcome in my home. Maid, move your things downstairs."

"Already taken care of. Don't have things, don't have to move. And don't call me maid. I'm going out." Takira said, getting up and tossing the rag she had been holding into Kankuro's face. She grabbed her desert robes and slipped them on.

The Uchiha didn't move when she went to the door, expecting her to move sideways. Sure she was small enough, but she wouldn't do it. "Move, Uchiha." She hissed.

The man's eyes widened. "How…"

She cut him off. "You have your clan symbol on your back, now move."

"I'd do it, mate. It's not fun when she goes through ya." Taro had come to see his long time friend.

Uchiha raised an eyebrow at this. Takira readied herself. She was not known for patience unless she was on a mission and having an Uchiha there made it all the worse. She held her breath and quickly walked through the doorway… and the Uchiha.

She remembered what Taro had told her when she did it to him. Apparently it was like a cold blast going through the body when she stepped through the person, no matter if it was completely, through the leg, or in this case, the shoulder. When she left there was a feeling of something leaving with her… like she stole a vital organ. She didn't wait for the other's gasp. She was halfway down the block with Taro before anyone thought to speak.



"Well, that was… interesting." Temari said. Though only Takira's shoulder had passed through Sauske's it was obvious that she had moved through him, not around.

"Temari, tell Takira when she gets back that I want to speak with her. Until then, Shikamaru, I wish to speak with you."

Shikamaru followed him upstairs to his office, which was in the shape of an circle. A desk graced the center of the room. Shikamaru sat in the chair like he was at home, bending back slightly. Gaara, now used to his manner, found that he wasn't annoyed at all. Of course, that could have been because he was still angered by Takira's display.

"Why was Sauske sent? Last time I heard, he was no longer an active shinobi." Asked Gaara, getting right to the point.

"We're a little short-handed and Sauske volunteered." Shikamaru shrugged. "A bunch of troublesome Sound Ninja are basically at our front door. They should be gone by now. Naruto trusts him and with you and me watching him, he figures that nothing will go wrong."

"Hn. Naruto assumes much."

"Yeah but," Shikarmaur's eyes slid left and right, "I think he wants to get Sauske away from the village. Whenever certain reports are filed, a group get sent out of the room and Sauske is always in that group."

"Do you know what the reports are about?"

"No. No one does, not even his own wife, man." Shikamaru said.

Gaara laced his fingers together and leaned forward in his chair. "Fine. I'll find out more about this next week. Until then, follow Sauske around, don't let him out of your sight."

Shikamaru gave him a curt nod. "I won't." He grinned. "Though I'm not sure that your sister's going to be thrilled with me following around another guy. Troublesome woman."

A/N: Ohh... this chapter actually sets up a whole bunch of other chapters. Review!